Blockhead

Some pictures of the Backyard Leaves blocking. I even had my Flower Basket Shawl reblocked when I first bought these foam mats home. They were actually meant for children's play mats. Since no kids at home, they served well as a blocking mat when pieced together.

I love how the leave motifs are designed. Ingenious is an understatement. Here's a close up.

Seeing 3 packages after a bad day at work really perks me up more than anything else can. The box at the top is OPI nailpolishes, the brown package is from Maryann. The white package is from loopyarn.com. The only regret I had from loopyarn is that I ould have bought more from them. LOL

I was still trying to take better pictures for the other FOs. but they all turn out really bad on the screen. So I guess I will wait for a sunny day, when natural light pours in. Meanwhile I have finished the back and fronts of 95-12. I shall call this cardigan 1952 since Drops doesn't give proper names. 1952 is giving me a good time with its drapey-ness. Hope the other KALers are enjoying it too.

Its gonna be a long weekend

Was the contest difficult? I doubt so in Belinda's case. And now I know who's the mysterious stalker. LOL. So Belinda, watch out for my mail to claim your yarns. Thank you to those who have tried! *HUGS*

This coming long weekend will be loads of cleaning in my room. I'm practically swimming in yarns now and with the arrival of packages of yummy yarns, i will be drowned sooner or later. Furthermore, I think Panta is buried deep uder my stash, so is my Silk Garden Beanie.

I have plans to flash my stash and also document those un-document FOs. Not forgetting the long-forgotten sewing machine which was part of my Mom's dowry, I will have it oiled and cleaned. If the weekend is really long, I might get some cloths and practise on it. yoohoo!!

so i sew too? I did sew during my secondary schools in Home Economics classes. My granny handsew most of her blouses, even at an age of 70+ she was still sewing by hand, just that she needed me to help her thread the needles, which i gladly did for her. I think I sort of inherit her genes in that sense. I love to do crafts since young, was in the Art's Club during my first 10 years of education. I can still remember how to paint goldfishes the chinese painting way. I had origami-ed ad crocheted. I was into baking before I took up knitting. I still can't forget the peanut cookies (kok zai in cantonese, not Japanses gou zai) which Granny made for every Chinese Lunar New Year. Unfortunately, it was only 3 years after her passing did I take up baking. Thus she never had the chance to try my baking. I shall talk more about Granny soon.

Back on my stashing excerise, 6 hanks of Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool was waiting for me when I reached home last night. Together came the dpns which will be used for FFL cast on. Hence, I hope this weekend will be super long so that I can at least cast on FFL and have it big enough to be transferred onto a 40cm length needle.

Mona urged me to join the Tri-Knity KAL and I finally freed my 3.5mm needle to cast on for this cardigan. I'm on the third repeat of the lace patterns. The knitted up fabric is so drapey and light. Maybe I had been purling a little too tight, that when I try to k2tog, it feels so tauted that I'm afraid the yarn might break.

I'm expecting more yarns to arrived within this 2 weeks. Many thanks to Maryann for hoarding a pack of Noro Silk Garden for me. <3

Blo-giver-sary!!!

It's been a year of ups and downs in my knitting path. Started this blog after a few months of knitting and it has bring me joy by sharing my views and stuffs, still is today. I also made lots of friends, be it local or overseas. The Internet has certainly bring all knitters closer than ever.

As the title of this post says, I'm going to give out 2 hanks of yarns, to be dyed by Kessa of The Singing Yarn. You can have her custom dye 2 hanks for you. Of course, there's no free lunch (or you might say "free yarn") in this world. Please tell me which FO(s) of mine has not been documented on my blog. Which means: I might have mentioned finishing an item but no FO photos were posted about it. The first person who give me the most number of FOs not mention is the receiver of the yarns. If you have been following my blog, it wouldn't be that difficult. Last day of this contest is 11th April GMT+8 10:00.

All entries to be emailed to undievisual (AT) gmail (DOT) com
Results will be announced on the 12th.

I have plenty of photos taken and will update when I have more time.

To Knit List (Spring/Summer)

My latest To Knit List. Both Vintage Velvet and Backyard Leaves should be done by this weekend.

WIPs to finish:
Jaywalker sock #2
VL Lacy Cardigan
Martha
Japanese cami (I need to see Rita about this)

New Projects in the queue
Frost Flower & Leaves - Aegean Blue Jaggerspun Zephyr (Ruth, now you know?)
Bergere Cable Cardigan - Bendigo Yarn*
Fad Classic - to be decided*
2 tops from Louisa Hardings Vintage Knits - Cotton from Bendigo Yarn*
Ribbed socks - Trekking XXL 100
Cascading Leaves socks - Lorna Laces Shepherd Socks
Embossed Leaves socks - Knitpicks Color Your Own(handdyed by Kessa)
Phildar 436 Blazer - Phildar Aviso* (future yarn spree)
Lady Eleanor - Noro Silk Garden*
Drops Design 95-21 - Jaeger Trinity
Timeless from Rowan 34 - Rowan 4 ply soft Buzz

Seems like I'm not knitting much from the stash.

*oppz i didn't mention i added a few balls of cotton to my Bendigo order. and Silk Garden is on my To Buy List =P

I need a Vent

Its so stressed at work. When was the last time i spent 12 hours straight in an office? I entered the office at 8 am last morning and left at 8 pm. I rather spend time knitting away. Imagine 12 hours of blissful knitting. That's the problem of working full time. Luckily, there's only 19 working days in April. Not forgetting that paycheck will be in in less than 3 weeks. yooohoooo. =)

anyway, I sat down and work on Vintage Velvet till its time for bed. A dose of knitting a day, keeps my sanity at ease.

I guess I overspent the day i broke my yarn diet. Needless to say, there was a sale of Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool at loopyarn.com so off I jump from the edge after months of waiting. I also bought 2 sets of DPNs, that might be used on Frost Flower & Leaves. And did I mention my 8oz of Jaggerspun Zephyr had arrived? it came in a huge hank. It almost got tangled a few times while winding it into a huge yarn cake. I guess FFL will be a stay-at-home project since a HUGE yarn cake is not portable by any means. Beside these, I also need to add a few balls of cotton to my Bendigo order. All of my Bendigo yarns are already spoken for, so I guess this is quite fair. I'm still looking around for a bagof Noro Silk Garden #226, which will be yarn for Lady Eleanor. any cheap deals to recommend?

Plan to succeed not fail to plan

With plans in mind, I managed to follow closely. however as usual i side track a little bit. No, i didn't cast on any new projects but I'm itching to do so.

No pics yet as I'm updating in office. I managed to finish Green Gable, and I'm wearing it today. Also finished Jaywalker Sock #1, casting on #2 tonight after the final part of Backyard Leaves is done and weave in.

Met Evelyn to return her the ballwinder and getting the long awaited latest japanese magazine from her. I wasn't as impressed with it as the last spring/summer issue did. anyways, I shall try to work one pattern out from it, so as to justify the purchase of this magazine. So, Bee, if you are reading this, do not have too much expectation of this issue. Perhaps I was anticipating a lot from it, thus the disappointment.

Being photo-less for quite a few posts, reminds me of the Flash Your Stash 2006 event. After surfing through lots of knit blogs, I'm so ashame to say that my stash is not flash worthy. So, in order for a valid flash, I decided to halt my yarn diet. My stashette will grow from now into a monster. What a good excuse to start stashing. Anyway, the plan is undergoing, I'm expecting 5 x 200grams of Bendigo wool. *winks* Funnily, I did not order a single cotton item.

I hope to upload more photos soon, if time permits.

Knitterly Links

I was looking at my referral link list this morning and found some lovely knitters who have linked me. So I do love to show them my love by adding them to my blogroll.

Karen, In Knitting News

Erica, Bound By My Hook

In other news, I would be joining Secret Pal 8. I did enjoy myself during Secret Pal 5.

With the long list of WIPs, i have decided to rotate them. First off would be Jaywalker sock #1, I'm 80% done. It was fast as I could knit it while standing in the subways or if I could have a seat on the buses to and fro work. Next will be Vintage Velvet, this is an easy to memorise pattern, so most probably it will follow me to work. But when I'm home, I will switch to Backyard Leaves, as I need full concentration on the chart. And if anytime I'm bored with laces, I will turn to Green Gables, b'cos right after the yoke its stockinnette stitch all the way. Then I will cast on sock #2 when either one of the scarves are done.

How does my plan look? sounds workable to moi. =)

Its Official

I formally announced of my yarn diet yesterday on KC. I seriously need one, since I'm not knitting as fast I had been. The lost of 8 solid hours daily really slows down everything. Taking a step back, I have the longest list of WIPs so far in my knitting career. Let's do a row call:

(in descending order)
1. Martha (yet to start her sleeves)
2. VK Lacy Cardigan (half way up sleevie islands)
3. Backyard Leaves (one half done)
4. Vintage Velvet (2 more balls of yarn to go)
5. a Japanese shell cami (6 rows down)
6. Jaywalkers (on the leg for first sock)
7. Green Gables (8 rows down)

I hope to clear 3, 4, and 6 by this month, Green Gables by mid April, Lacy by end April. Martha hopefully done before Fall. Hope I can stick strictly to this schedule, rein in more discipline and self control.

I have been on cold turkey for more than 48 hours, meaning, i have not surf any sites selling yarns or on ebay. this sounds quite tough but I think I gonna make it to the 72 hours mark. buck me up ok?

If there's 10 commandments for a yarn diet, I definitely follow. I want my bank account to grow not my yarn stash!!!

Jane drop by Singapore

Had a great meetup with Jane yesterday, the other local knitters came to join in the fun too. And Jane gifted me a hank of soy silk, handpainted by her.

Handdyed sock yarns

Bought a few hanks of plain sock yarns and some kool-aids from the sweet Wendy. Since then I've been procastinating to dye. And working fulltime doesn't improve anything, since I'm left with a few hours to knit. So, i requested Kessa to help me with 2 hanks.

So with a few packs each of cherry, pink lemonade and grape, and with her magic, here's the outcome:
I will start Jaywalker with the left and most probably a lace socks for the darker one. The Dyer is brewing something, and we shall all find out soon.

Edited: I just placed an order for 8oz of Zephyr.

Buy these from me is UPDATED

Poll conclusion

First of all, i liked to thank whoever that took the time to click on the shawl polling. However, it had came to my understanding that a lot of you thought the links were to a photo of each shawl. so instead of clicking the one which you chose, you started by trying to take a look at the pics first. Hence voted for Madli and incidentally became the highest in votes. I found this "luckypoll" is not friendly towards blogger.com's codings or vice versa. Partly its also my fault for not introducing the various shawls up for polling. So the results will not be honoured. However, at least the choices have been narrowed down to 3; Madli, Frost Flowers & Leaves and Kimono Stole.

As for yarns selection, I have 1260 yards of Jaggerspun Zephyr in Aegean Blue. This would be good for either Madli or Kimono. But Bee has advised not to take up Madli due to the p7tog issues. and Kimono is too common im my opinion. so that left FF&L, which set me back by the amount of yard i need. At least 3600 yards is required, which means i need another 8oz of Zephyr. anyway, i always keep my options open for different types of yarns, thus i seldom knit with the same yarn twice. How about some lace weight cashmere? It might be too warm to knit in this tropical weather. And please no more alpacas, they just left traces everywhere they go. Seems like, I either get another 8oz of Aegean Blue or hope for more new lace weights recommendations.

Knitterly updates:
It seems like the Knitting Goddess (if there's one) did blessed me during last weekend. I need to weave in for the blue Fiery Bolero. It seems pretty small for me, so I gonna bestow it on one of my friends. Backyard Leaves still need to be casted on for the other half, and I may have 1 extra ball left. And I cast on Vintage Velvet with Patons Zhivago, the color will go well with my Audrey. I'm still with Lacy Cardigan, going slow but steady, just 4 more inches before armhole shaping. and Martha may skip the frog pond once Lacy is out of the way.

*phew* What a long list of WIPs.

Buy these from me

Added on 22nd April 2006

- I accept paypal.
- I will combine shipping for multiple items.
- All yarns are from a pet free and smoke free home.

4 balls of Katia Capri in 82082,
1 ball of Katia Nizza
Both are 100% cotton
US$25 for whole lot, shipping included

2 balls of Katia Mississippi 3 Print, 230yds each
60% cotton, 40% acrylic
US$10 , shipping included

5 balls of Patons Zest, 95 metres each
100% acrylic
US$10, shipping included

4 balls of Cleckheaton Click Clack Cotton in DK, 101 metres each
50% cotton, 50% acrylic
US$20, shipping included
will unclude extra 0.8 ball, leftover from my Green Gable.


Interested? Leave your email in the comments.

I need YOU

yes, YOU. Please help me to decide on the following. I will put up another poll for yarns and colors. I think there's no restriction as to the number of votes you can cast. so if u want to see one these shawls on this blog, cast your vote today. I need ideas on yarns too, you may know some lace yarns which I have not come across.

Which shawl/stole should Lois knit next? 1) Madli (IK) 2) Frost Flowers (Gathering of Lace) 3) Cherry Blossom (IK) 4) Sampler Stole (GOL) 5) Ene's Scarf (Scarfstyle) 6) Kimono (Folk Shawls) 7) Lace Dream (Shawls and Scarves : The Best of Knitter's Magazine) View Results

I think i need to pray to the Knitting Goddess (if there's one). Please bless me with more knitting time and faster knitting speed. I need to pick up 90 sts for the lower back of my Fiery Bolero, Backyard Leaves needs more memory, Lacy Cardigan needs more TV time and Martha needs a trip to the Frog pond.

Yarn cards

For the benefit of others, I shall post this up. Cotton yarns from Bendigo Mills. *yummy*

comes in 200g, approx 670m for about SGD17.

Yarn spree happening at Knitters COmmunity

The Little Molehill

which was in my room.

I'm expecting another 3 packs soon. No worries, Only 15 balls belonged to me. I can't imagine the chaos when there's free shipping worldwide. THere would be more yarn sightings in my room since Knitpicks just launch another 3 new yarns.

ohhh...i betta knit fasta~~~

Rainy evening

Yep, that's the weather right now while I'm blogging. It was way too hot and humid in the afternoon and not very suitable for yarn store hopping. somehow, I only have today and tomorrow to spare before real work kicks in on wednesday.

The story goes as I met Evelyn in the late morning and off to this 'newly' opened store at Thomson Plaza. As a matter of fact its been there for 2 years, just as Evelyn moved out of that neighbourhood. According to Jane, the owner, they were previously at Bukit Timah Plaza(pretty near my place) for 5 years. OMG, I wasn't knitting at that point of time. So Best Collections is not exactly new, about 7 years old I supposed.

A very brightly lit store, with beads and cross stitch items. Jane is an avid collector of knitting magazines, and they are all neatly stored. You can find Sandra 4 years ago, color charts of Rowan/Jaeger yarns. Not forgetting Gedifra and Austermann, a few packs of Katia and assorted Japanese yarns. Did I mention that its the only place in Singapore that stocks Addi Turbos? Needle prices range from SGD15 to SGD20.

A friendly owner with kind services, generous with her collection of magazines and books (she kept me busy with loads of VK magazines). Prepare cash as no NETS or VISA is accepted, the ATM is just one floor below.

Address: 301 Upper Thomson Road, #02-20 Thomson Plaza, Singapore 574408
Tel: 6453 2628
Opening Hours: 12 noon to 9pm

Set off to our next destination, Golden Landmark. I have always managed to came out of this store unscathed, even though it stocks the most yummylicious Filatura de Crosa Zara. Its a quaint little store, which I labelled as Singapore's true blue yarn store. One of our local artiste used to be one of the partners, she sold her share due to plans of immigration.

The store may look old, but if you do go through the boxes, treasures you would find. Plenty of wools in odd balls, abundance of European yarns like Filatura, Austermann, Schoeller Stahl. Another friendly owner, and gives discounts whenever it is. Spring/Summer yarns would be in early March. I can't wait for the new stuffs. How to get there

Last stop was Golden Dragon, the must-go store in Singapore. Stocks Rowan, Jaeger and Sirdar from UK, Richmore and other Japanese brands. Its one of the major craft store in Singapore. Located on the second storey of People's Park Center.
Address: 101 Upper Cross Street, #02-51 People's Park Centre, Singapore 058357
Tel: 6535 8454, 6535 8234
Opening Hours: 9am to 9pm

You might be wondering why I have not report on my purchases today, I came home without an extra knitting related item. The reason being, I overspent on shopping during my holiday, my online purchases have burst my budget. First yarn-porn in a long time.
With so much stashing going on, I need to get destashing going on too, simultaneously. Here's Wavy in its WIP pose. More details when it turns FO. Hope SO doesn't read this blog. =p
Off to wash off the strawberry yogurt mask on my face. smells so lovely that i wanna lick it off my chin.

Ruffle Love

How everyone loves the Ruffles from ScarfSTYLE...truely easy, too easy that it sent me to dreamland during the round trip flights to Taiwan. and yes, i did had 2 SEX during my trip, update done on another post soon. ;)


Pattern: Ruffles from ScarfSTYLE
Yarn: 3 balls of Cleckheaton Country 8 ply in #1858
Needle: 4mm Addi Turbo circulars
Size: NA
Time to finish: a week

This is what I have been knitting for the week, the week before I'm back to work. DUH!! I may have the spending power but money can't buy me time to knit.

Off to knit another scarf for the Significant One. This is going to be my first knit item for him. March is going to be one loooooooong month~~

Bring It ON

Finally I have the whole computer for the whole day, since my brother is down with a cold.

The next few posts will be all on my latest knitting related news. First up is another wrapped cardigan from Rebecca #31. In fact, I told myself to stop knitting anything "wrapped". However when i saw the pattern, I can't help it and I have the right yarn for it.Pattern: #6 Lacy Wrap Jacket in Rebecca #31
Yarn: less than 3 balls of Rowan Yarns Classic Cashsoft 4 ply in Dive #427
Needle: 4mm circulars and 3.75mm circulars for ribbings
Size: 32
Time to finish: 4 days

This is truely a fast knit. The sleeves took me 3 hours total. This is part of the destashing plan. I still have 1 ball left and its for sale. Going at USD9, shipping inclusive. I accept paypal transfer. If you need more of the same color just leave your email in the comments. This yarn is soft and squashy in the ball and feels just as soft when knitted up. 2 balls would knit up a pair of socks.

I have some real comments regarding this project. Remember how does a "slip 1 knitwise, k2tog, psso" looks like? Take a look below, click the picture for a larger view.Don't the stitches look so twisted and ugly?

And here's what I did: Now it looks neater. You might want to do "slip 2 knitwise, k 1, p2sso" the next time u want to decrease 2 stitches at a time.

the Hiatus' mini hiat

Singapore SnB blog has been updated.
- New events posted
- updated on previous knitout

Mini updates
- Rebecca lace wrap on the way to finish
- I have been meeting loads of knitters this week, 4 meetups in total
- I may not be in town for next week if things work out smoothly

The Hiatus continues.

Off to Maple land

I have neglected my Suziesushi, so I gonna spend some quality time with her. Here's 2 shots of her latest makeover.
Meanwhile, I'm still available over MSN and YIM.

a mini hiatus.

Somewhat finished at last

Firstly good news, I finally landed myself in a permanent job. Its been more than a year of job hunting, temp assignments, meeting people and surviving under different company cultures. This means, my knitting priorities will be stepping down, as i focus more on my work.

As I mentioned in a couple of posts earlier, Somewhat Cowl had shown good progress and was finished last night after binding off the left sleeve. As usual, the light isn't coming in and this was taken after the rain. I photoshopped it heavily, good time to polish my photoshop skills.
Pattern: Somewhat Cowl by Wendy Bernard
Yarn: less than 3 balls of Sirdar Breeze in Cream
Needle: 4mm circulars and 3.5mm circulars for ribbings
Size: 32
Time to finish: started in Jan 06, as I realised I did not have a 80cm 3.5mm needle for magic looping the sleeves, I picked up other projects. Stricly speaking, this would have taken me less than a week to assemble.

This is the second pattern I knitted from Wendy, and I have to say I HEART her seamless designs. Those out there who just put off by seaming, please try her designs. Wendy's instructions are written plain and simple for anyone to follow. I look forward to more of her designs.

Given another chance to do this again, I would pick a finer gauge yarn on smaller needles. Hope to see more Cowls around.

Back to my dreading sleevie islands of Lacy cardigan.

Apricot Jacket

As promised, here's a shot of Apricot in a dusty pink yarn. Pardon me for my unruly curls, as the wind is rather strong today and I just came back from outside.
Pattern: Apricot jacket from Rebecca #27
Yarn: less than 4 balls of TLC Cara Mir
Needle: 4mm circulars
Size: Small
Time to finish: 4 days + 1 day for seaming

The pattern translation is not very explicit in a few areas. I had to do a lot of guesswork, frogging 17cm of ribbings and reknitting it twice. I'm quite satisfied with the final product. Its the most fitting garment which I have knitted so far. I'm also fine with no buttons. There's something I want to comment about TLC Cara Mir. It sheds like CRAZZZZZZY!!! I have to avoid wearing dark color clothes if I'm taking Apricot with me. Otherwise this is a very soft piece. Hopefully after a few washes, the shedding will cease.

Next up is this slubby yarn i got for $2/ball. Its already more than 1 feet long, 5 more to go. This is going to be an easy and fast knit. The yarn is surprisingly soft considering its 100% acrylic. Yes, I'm using 10mm plastic needles.

Meanwhile, I have grown bore on the sleevie islands of VK Lacy Cardigan but Somewhat Cowl's is progressing.

my First pair of Socks

It seems quite a while from my last post. I have been in a knitting frenzy, finished the scallop top on the eve of Lunar New Year and Apricot Jacket 5 days later. I really need strong natural light for good pics since I'm slow with photoshopping the pictures.

just an hour ago, i cast off my first pair socks. Pattern: Elfin socks by Anna Bell
Yarn: <100g of sportwieght Japanese wool/acrylic blend
Needle: 2.25mm Aero circulars
Size: n/a
Time to finish: 2 weeks with about 2 months of hiatus in between

Its the Second Sock Syndrome on the loose. I tried to avoid by casting on the second sock right after casting off the first. Anyways, they are done and fit nicely on my feet. Thanks to Anna for such a fabulous sock pattern.

These pair pf socks taught me magic loop and short rowing. so my next pair will be 2 socks on 2 circulars. Hopefully this can prevert SSS from happening.

On the needles are Somewhat Cowl, and pat me on my back for touching the sleevie islands of the VK Lacy Cardigan.

Knitting content not.

I can't help but to share this wonderful Japanese drama 1 Litre of Tears (1OT). It had been sometime since I watched a Japanese series, it was a Korean one a couple of months ago. 1OT is really touching, its about a 15 year old girl diagnosed with a disease called Spinocerebellar Degeneration, and how she continued on for the next ten years of her life before the diease took her life at 25. More synosis here.

This is a real touching story, i was bound to cry after the 3rd episode. I guessed i might have collected a litre of tears towards the end of the story. If you like tear jerker stuffs, this is for you.

You can also find snipets of the drama at youtube.com

Sorry for the lack of knitting content, as you can see, I have been watching the drama for the past 3 days.

Tagged again.

I have been tagged by Jade of Bee Knits.

Four jobs you have had in your life:

1. Asst Engineer
2. Marcom Asst
3. Product Engineer
4. Customer Service Exec

Four (random) movies you could watch over and over:

1. Sleepless in Seattle
2. Matrix
3. Silence of the Lamb
4. Lion King

Four places you have lived:

1. Singapore

That's the only place but I have travel to a few places.

Four TV shows you love to watch:

1. Sex & the City
2. Desperate Housewives
3. Lost
4. Grey's Anatomy

Four places you have been on vacation:

1. Thailand
2. Australia, Gold Coast, Brisbane
3. Malaysia
4. Hongkong

Four websites you visit daily:

1. google.com
2. Yahoo
3. Knitters COmmunity
4. knittyboard.com

Four of your favorite foods:

1. Mum's cooking (anything she cooks of course)
2. Pringles chips
3. Taiwanese Oyster Noodles (Ah Zhong Mee Sua)
4. Macau Almond Biscuit

Four places you would rather be right now:

1. Korea - for skiing
2. Taiwan - for skincare shopping
3.
4.

2 at the moment, and any fiber fest in the future.

Four Bloggers you are tagging:

1. Erin
2. Vanessa
3. Kessa
4. June

No obligations at all. :)

Frappr Bug

As always, I'm late to the Frappr party.

Click on the title of this post and leave your mark on my Frappr map.

Ruth: take a look at your map. :)

anything Japanese

I have always been fascinated by yarns from Japan. Noro is definitely one of them. An Angel called me while i was having a cold over christmas, asking me about yarns and stuffs. With her help, I was able to get a ball of Noro Silk Garden in #82. So what can one do with just one ball of silk garden? A Silk Garden Beanie of course!

Pattern: Silk Garden Beanie from And She Knits Too
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden #82
Needle: 4mm DPNs
Size: n/a
Time to finish: under 4 hours while watching TV.

Consider the above as the first FO for 2006. In fact Marilyn's Not-so-shrunken Cardigan should be the first. Somehow its in the washing machine doing a few spins while I'm documenting, will talk about it when i have pics for it.

More Japanese stuffs...
no prize for guessing the pattern to the photo on the left. The yarn was actually meant for a Rebecca pattern, but i found something more suitable for it and so i need to destash this Katia yarn. I might have enough to do another Orangina. or more than enough for this

By the by, thanks for the recommendation on the cable cardi. However, I just can't bear the idea of knitting loads up and having to frog everything. So the plan's to stall it away and follow nature's path. Good luck to those who will be knitting this up, can't wait to see the cables popping out.

And have you watched Memoirs of a Geisha yet?Definitely a must watch. i have not read the novel but i hope the movie covers most of the important details. And now I need to hunt for a copy of this book.

Cheers!

Pre-knitting jittery

I can't believe I'm experiencing this for the cable cardigan. Am I losing confidence or what? The cardigan seems too large for my liking. Take a look at the comparsion between my favourite cardigan and the ribbings. There's about 1.5 inch extra which means 3 inch extra. Furthermore, according to the instructions, there's a need to increase stitches. The final results will be at least 6 inches bigger then my usual garments. I don't think i need something so big in my wardrobe. I'm thinking through whether to carry on this project.

Types of Knitters

Being in a knitting forum, I get to meet knitters. Thus i met different types of knitters. This post is my personal views, no names will be mentioned. I'm not talking about anyone in particular, so stop being over sensitive. *winks*

Everyone starts as a beginner, and as a beginner, I was always overwhelmed with the pattern and FOs I came by. Very quickly, I became a pattern whore. I'm still one till now. Better to get that magazine in case one fine day I found something interesting to knit. Regrets will become a frustration.

As you gain more experience, you start to buy more expensive yarns or just more inexpensive yarns. a yarn junkie i became. you start to stalk online retailers if they have sales or free shipping promotions. you start to calculate the economy of scales. you start yarn sprees. you breathe, dream, sleep on yarns even. then you start salivating on yarn not available at your LYS.

then when it comes to yarn fiber, you detest most acrylics, going for merino wool, the superfine alpaca, silkiest silk and cashmere stuff. oh, what a yarn snob might i claimed. I just wanna do away with the itch which acrylics and superwash wool will cause. serenade me with Filatura di Crosa, Rowan, Colinette, Lorna's Laces...etc

you start to change your tools. no longer are you using Birch but Clover metals and bamboos, even interchangables like Clovers, Denise and Boye Needlemaster. you have the 4mm needles in all lenghts (16" ~ 32") and brands (include Addi Turbos) and materials (rosewood, how luxurious). not only that you buy 101 beads and start making your own stitch markers.

with so much yarns and needles at your disposal, you start whipping up a lot of projects. promising yourself that you will finish them. and before you realise, you have a basketful of WIPs and UFOs. you are always so tempted by the things done by others and knowing that you have so little time for knitting each day, you knit straight into the dark nights, waking up to lament about the eyebags and dark eye circles.

think that's enough for the day. i shall go out to catch some sun for photo taking on my FO and more time for my sock.

2006 knitti start.

These are the fronts of Lacy cardigan. I added beads to it using Paula's method of threading them on. Very useful, if you do not like the idea of having tons of beads on your yarn while knitting.

on another note, my gauge had been deviating between the 2 fronts. The right is a tact shorter. I think i will stick with knitting both fronts/sleeves at the same time. And that means winding another hank of alpaca cloud in order to restart this project. I shall wish for a ball winder.

Working on something while i have the extra time and yarn. The instructions are found in VK Holiday 2005, Twisted Stitch Rose. I shall try it with bulky yarn for a bigger rose. This was done with DK weight yarn on 4mm needles.

The swatch for this cable cardi is done but I'm not happy with Knitpicks Merino Style. I did achieve the required gauge for stockingnette stitch but take a look at the picture, the cables just wont stand out. Should i swatch Wool of the Andes instead? That would be a cheaper alternative but I prefer merino on my skin.

Lastly, i need buttons for my first FO in 2006.

2005 Project Rundown

1. Mariah

2. Flower Basket Shawl

3. Cozy

4. Clapotis

5. Kiri

6. Ribbed Corset

7. Tivoli

8. Orangina

9. Cable sweater for a friend

10. Cork screw scarf

11. Butterfly

12. Rebecca Warp Cardigan

13. Secret Sweater

14. Silk Garden Beanie

15. Birch

16. Lucky Clover cardigan

17. Audrey

VK Winter 2006

some interesting pieces which caught my eyes.





rest of the preview HERE

I started another project during Xmas holiday. and yes, hope everyone have a good knitty start to year 2006.

Before its over

Wishing everyone a Merry merry Christmas!
Best wishes for the year ahead.

Cables, cables, cables, i HEART you

I'm on the heat for cable patterns and as I was reading Purlwise, I happen to come across Bergere de France. They have such yummilicious yarns and patterns. on a sad note, the whole site does not have English translations. Not even the patterns.

Pity me for spending half the day, trying not to get Lost in Translation. With the help of this very good french knitting stitchery and after flipping through the print outs for the zillonth time, I translated the whole pattern into 4 pages of English instructions.

Here's the French instructions. I don't know whether I will be crossing any copyright laws, if you want a copy of the English instructions, do leave your email in the comments. However the English instructions has not been tested, but I'm most willing to guide you along.

If this translation goes well, my next target will be Phildar patterns. since only some of its magazines come with the english inserts. It would be a good thing to know more about french patterns.

Edited to add:This is the yarn called for.

News about the Knit-a-Long over at Knitters Community.

PS. thanks for the comments on my secret sweater.
Kessa: the receiver is yours truely
Ruth & Vivian: cuz I've been poring over the pattern for eons and I did not factor in the hours I had for planning.

the SECRET is OUT

May i present the Secret sweater. Frankly speaking its not much of a secret, if you have bought the yarns from elann.com. i had the photo taken just after installing the zipper. got the zipper on Friday from Daiso, a Japanese thrift store. coincidentally the yarns were from there there too.

A close up on the cables.
Pattern: Schoeller Stahl Winter 2003/ 2004
Yarn: less than 10 balls of 70%wool/30%acrylic blend
Needle: 4.5mm (US 7)for ribbing, and 5mm (US8)
Size: Small
Time to finish: a little more than 3 weeks

My point

If I ever need to travel to a cold place, i doubt i will need winter clothing shopping. At this rate of churning out sweaters and cardigans, i may need extra storage space soon. So, i've decided to fine tune my knit list, moving those that need bulky yarns (aran weight and above) to the bottom of the queue, adding more accessories and crocheting stuffs.

and after registering the local group as the official Stitch 'n' Bitch Singapore on global SnB, i have finally move my butt to create a blog for it. it a place to document any knit outs and events. i'm still in the process of setting the affiliation terms.

learning to knit is a process. it can be self taught, through forking out a sum of money to engage a "pro" to teach or even through a group of knitters for free. given the three choices, what's your preference?

as a self learner, i think i learnt more and even some long-time knitters may be surprise how much i have picked during such a short period. it is not the amount of time one had spent knitting, but the knowledges that one has obtained.

every project is a learning curve to me. even a repeated project serves it purpose as i will think of ways to enhance it, be it the fitting or embellishments or finishings.

It's a learning path and I'm strolling passionately on it.

21 days and less

Just when I wanted to take pictures, my digicam's battery ran flat. so you peeps got to wait till my next post.

one of my knitting related prayers was answered last week. phew~ one more to go. things should be settled before end of 2005.

with less than 21 days left in 2005, I doubt I will be able to finish Martha and the lacy cardigan. on a happy note, the secret sweater is almost done. just need to weave in the ends and install the zipper.

Lacy cardigan will be frogged pass the armhole shaping. as i don't think i will need such a long bodice. more stuffs to knit when the next copy of IK reaches my mailbox.

and I need to clear my room in under 8 weeks, cuz Chinese Lunar New Year is really close.

Just Wondering

i was at the two major bookstores on the other day. browsing the magazine section as usual, and quite disappointed that Knitscene is not made available, since its debute in the US.

However, it has always occurred to me where have all the other copies of knitting mags gone? Dozens and dozens of IKs and VKs, not forgetting Cast On, Knit n Style. Knit.1, even Sandra, had been going off the shelves. It can only be knitters/craftsters whom bought them.

The BIG question is: Who are they? What have they been knitting? and where do they knit?

I bet they knit at home. and no signs of SIngaporeans knit bloggers other than those whom I have already known.

If you are knitting in Singapore (local or expat), please give me a sign of your existence. else i may have to find better reason of how the magazines make their way out of the bookstores.

Picture-less update

not another no-picture entry. =P cuz yours truely is truely very busy with :
- temp assignment (8am ~ 5pm)
- maplesea.com (online gaming)
- my secret sweater project (when i'm not doing both of the above.)

it has been months since i woke up with the sun. even after taking breakfast, i still feel sleepy. the good thing about starting work early, my work ends early too as well. with company transport provided, I would be home within 30 mins. no knitting on the way home, as the bus ride is really rough and motion sickness is something I HATE.

the secret sweater is progressing. I'm on sleevie island and about to shape the raglan for both pieces. Front #1 is done. I hope this sweater has a better fit than my first sweater, Mariah.

on another note, Martha is having a long vacation with the Lacy Cardigan. and the saddest news of all, Lacy would be visiting the frog pond for a swim, once i find time for her.

With regards to my previous post on the crazy hoarding, I decide to rein more self discipline and only got 2 balls of Sirdar Breeze in a cream shade for a friend's Ruffles scarf. Sad to say, the LYS does not import other colors of Breeze. I think most of us are already sick of those 7 that's available. and out of those, I only like the cream, pink, and baby blue.

Speaking of Ruffles, I was going to get a copy of Scarf Style at Borders. They used to have at least 3 copies on the shelves whenever I managed to convinced myself to stay away from it. After looking through 3 columns of shelves, Scarf Style I see not. *on the verge of tears* seems like I'm not fated to get it. Anyway, a couple of books are being enrouted to me. With more knitting books, I guess its justifiable for stashing more yarns.

Before i forget, THANK YOU for all the comments about the blog revamp. would be doing another one, once I find time for it.

Break free

It has been months since my last yarn hoarding. since July, i have only 1 hank of Butterfly cotton (for the corset), 1 hank of Alpaca Cloud, 1 ball of Cashsoft Aran on the books. (excluding acrylic stuffs)

I'm really really frightened by the amount of yarn that I will hoard soon. Just by imagination has already set my heart pumping faster, and adrenlina running high.

However this is a planned hoarding, I have already lined up my future projects. It's time to break free from yarn rehab.

PS. still tweaking this layout, the previous one has too much clutterings.

PPS. look out for the snowflakes floating from the top to the bottom of the screen.

For a friend

This sweater was started in March and left with the front to complete. However, little did I know that i will be swamped with my own projects, that I left it as un UFO for nearly 7 months.

Lesson One: all finish a project within 2 - 3 months. I do not know why, but my gauge is totally askewed. I was knitting much tighter and i could hardly transfer the open stitches from the holder to the needle. It was only after completing the front then i discovered about the HUGE difference. Although I did the same number of rows, the front was longer by about 10 rows. So I ended up frogging the piece till after the armhole shaping.

Lesson Two: the first time to pick up stitches for the neckband and a v-neck as well. Details on the second picture.

This sweater is meant for a friend, just in time for Christmas! Actually I volunteered to knit a sweater for him so we went to get the yarn and pattern together. Somehow, this sweater wasn't finished till today.

It could have been finished earlier if not for the change in row gauge. I did some changes to the bodice and armhole lengths. I doubt my friend has a long torso, but he definitely has freaking long arms.

Some thoughts on Sirdar patterns is that I would try to avoid using them. I'm not sure who's fault, but it takes quite a while for me to understand some of the shaping instructions

Pattern: Sirdar Leaflet
Yarn: Sirdar Denim Tweed DK
Needle: 4mm (US 6) and 3.75mm for the ribbings
Size: Small
Time to finish: minus the lapsed time, I think about 1 month

IK Winter 2005

adding these to my very long list of knits.

Brilliant Retro by Teva Durham


I may need to pick up my sock knitting soon. I stumped by the heel and gusset.


Rest of previews are HERE.

It's been 12 months of knits and purls

not exactly 12 months, a bit more or less as I don't remember exactly when I pick up my first circulars. I'm glad to have my knitting with me, it just suppress the insanity.

With the days counting, I have seen through 2 knit groups and have established one with the kind knitters in Knitters Community. Hope to see more more people enjoying this craft.

This was completed during last weekend. Purple pancakes, it is not. Can someone pinpoint the pattern? No prize for the correct guess though.

FOs: 1 New and 2 Old

Finally, i have the time to take the pictures. Let's start with the oldest FO. I knitted the vest version as it requires less yarn and would be easier to mix and match with my other clothes.

Pattern: Butterfly, Rowan 37
Yarn: Rowan Kidsilk Haze in Toffee, 1 ball plus a few more metres
Needle: Bryspun Circulars, 4mm (US 6)
Size: Small
Time to finish: slightly less than 2 weeks

When I first browse through this pattern instruction, I almost blackout from it. I was really lost. It was only after joining the KAL and saw some of the finished corset, that drew me back to this pattern. Learnt stuffs like i-cord bind off and cast on. these 2 techniques really give a more sturdy armhole.

Pattern: Corset Tank Top by Annie Modesitt
Yarn: Butterfly Super 10 cotton, less than 2 hanks
Needle: Boye Needlemaster 4mm (US 6)
Size: (smallest)
Time to finish: 2 weeks

Inspired by her, i started this one just 2 mondays ago. This yarn is incredibly soft to knit with. Too bad the DK and Aran weight is not available here. I can't wait to try Cashsoft, I'm sure its just as nice to knit with. I only had 3 balls of this yarn, and I got so paranoid of not have enough yarn. so much that the sash is only half the stitches called for and ended with about 12 grams of yarn left.

Pattern: Rebecca #29 Wrap Cardigan
Yarn: Rowan Cashcotton in Chintz, 3 balls
Needle: Boye Needlemaster 4mm (US 6)
Size: Small
Time to finish: 1 week